Story Time
by in-cognito64
Summary: If Bella was still here, then I could tell Nessie more. But I can't release that part of me yet, because if I do, then I fear that it will begin to fade away. But if I keep it close and keep it secret, then I can hold onto Bella forever.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter One

Every night was the same.

"Tell me a story, Daddy!"

I would make a big show out of it, grumbling and sighing and whining. Although there was nothing I wanted to do more than read to my daughter, Nessie loved it when I pretended that I didn't want to.

"Please please please please!" She would twist her face up in the most adorable pout.

"Oookay, but only one!"

She would scurry off to the bookcase that housed our favorite characters: Amelia Bedelia, the Bernstein Bears, Madeline, and all the Whoos in Whooville. She would always totter back in with at least three books, more if she could carry them.

I would lift her into the bed beside me, books and all. Her punishment for bringing back too many books was an attack by the tickle-monster, and if she brought back a lot of books, I would blow on her stomach, which she loved and hated.

As soon as her giggles quieted, she would snuggle against me in the crook of my arm. Even after two years of this routine, I still marveled at the fact that she fit so perfectly against my side, as if the spot had been molded specifically for her to curl up against. She would hand me the first book, and I would begin reading until she fell asleep from the steadiness of my voice echoing in my ribcage.

I would close the book gently, kiss the top of her head, and the carefully slide myself out from under her.

"I love you, Renesmee," I would whisper in the silent room. Then I would turn off the lights and shut the door while my baby slept.

But tonight was different.

"Tell me a story, Daddy!" she said, right on cue. She knew her lines as well as I did.

"Do I haaaave to?" I complained, illiciting a giggle from my little curly-haired moppet.

"Please please please please!" she begged, her eyes shining and her mouth down-turned in a pout.

"Ooookay, but only one!" I pretended to relent.

But tonight, instead of running off to the bookcase, she stayed beside me in her little bed.

"Aren't you going to go pick one?" I asked her, confused at this sudden change in the act that we had played for as long as she could remember.

"I know all of those stories already!" she told me, with an exasperated sigh that made me laugh.

"Well, we can pick out some new books tomorrow, but for tonight we will have to read an old one," I compromised.

"No!" she cried. "You can tell me a story!"

"What? I don't know any good stories," I offered as an excuse. But it was a thin one, and she was bright enough to know that. She also knew as well as I did that I could never say no to her when she begged me to do something.

"Uh-huh!" she said, adding an emphatic nod to encourage me. One sight of her eyes open wide, and her curls bobbing with assurance, and I was sold.

"All riiiiight. What do you want to hear about?"

She looked me straight in the eyes and said boldly: "Tell me about Mommy."

I could feel my throat closing up. Because it was just the two of us, Nessie and I were dependent on one another. She probably didn't realize the strength that she provided me, but without her, I would have nothing. And even though some of her mannerisms reminded me irresistibly of her mother, I loved Nessie all the more for it. Even so, the subject of Nessie's mother was taboo. I told Nessie enough so that she wouldn't have questions, but never anything more. This sudden interest bewildered me; Nessie hadn't brought up the topic for years now.

"Mommy uhh..." The words were getting stuck in my throat. I had carefully constructed my days so that I would never have to think about Bella; I poured all of my concentration into Nessie. Willfully surfacing the memories of Bella was even worse than drowning them out, my whole body was being flooded with Bella's presence. I could smell the freesia of her hair, hear the tones of her laugh, feel the smoothness of her cheek, taste the sweetness of her kiss, and, worst of all, see every detail of her body. Three years later, and she is still completely alive within me.

"Mommy loved you very very much, Nessie," I finally choke out. "When you were born, she cried because you were so beautiful. You already a couple curls on your head and your hands were so tiny and perfect. She loved you so much that she would barely let me hold you after you were born; she wanted you all to herself."

"But, Daddy, I know this story already too!" Nessie interrupts me. "I want to hear something _new_ about Mommy. I already know all about Mommy and me. I want to know about Mommy and you!" she demands.

No amount of begging, however persuasive, would convince me to breach that subject with her. Even all of these years later, it was still too hard to remember that time in my life. Maybe if things were different, if Bella was still here, then I could tell Nessie more. But I can't release that part of me, because if I do, then I fear that it will begin to fade away. But if I keep it close and keep it secret, then I can hold onto Bella forever.

"Not tonight, kiddo. Maybe when you are older," I tell her. It seems like the right thing to say, like something a good father would say. But it pains me as I shut out her light and close her door that for the first time, Nessie refused to let me kiss her goodnight.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

I retreated downstairs, completely shaken by what just happened. I knew that eventually I was going to have to tell Nessie about me and Bella, but I never imagined that it would be so soon. I wanted more time to pack the pain away in a part of me that was dusty and remote. I had counted on a couple more years at least.

But I suppose the curiosity was natural, especially considering that it was Nessie, Queen of Questions. She probably saw all the moms dropping off her friends at school, and wondered why she didn't have her own mommy to drop her off. And to be fair, I had never given her a real reason why she didn't have a mom. I simply told her that her mommy loved her, but had to go to a better place.

I'm not sure who I was protecting by not telling Nessie the whole truth: me or her. I had carefully constructed our life so that Nessie would be completely unaware of my unusual feeding habits. Telling her about Bella would mean that I would have to break down that barrier, and what five year old can understand that her Daddy wants to drink blood, even her own? Nessie wouldn't understand the full impact of the truth anyway, but that wasn't the biggest reason why I didn't even try to tell her.

Right after Bella was gone, my life was a ruin. Alice helped care for Nessie at first, she became almost like a surrogate mom. But after a month of mourning, I realized that I couldn't wallow anymore. Nessie was my responsibility, and even more than that, she was a tie to Bella. At first I had resented that about her: I hated how the color of her eyes, the curl of her hair, the indulgent yawns she would heave reminded me of the woman I was still in love with. But as time passed, I began to celebrate their similarities. Through Nessie, Bella was still real to me.

It was still difficult, especially in that first year. The adjustment to being a new father had been hard enough, but being a single-father was even worse. Bella had always been the one who knew the words to the nursery rhymes and the correct way to heat up a bottle of formula. Nessie and I managed. We formed our own routines, our own sense of what was normal. She might have learned a sense of personal responsibility older than an average child, but what was wrong with that?

Besides those difficulties, I had my own, more personal problems. Although it was no fault of Nessie's, she made me think of her mother. I had learned that the easiest way to make our living arrangement work was not to think about Bella. But when Nessie would put her hands on her hips defiantly or rub her cheek against her pillow as she slept, it was Bella that I saw. It was always like a physical blow to the stomach, but the emotional turmoil it put me through was the worst part. It was at those times that the life I was building with Nessie was blown over like a house of cards, and I experienced the first month of pain all over again.

I had gotten better at seeing Nessie only for herself, but even this inspired a breakdown inside of me. It was like I was losing Bella in the final sense. But it helped me cope better, so I focused more and more on Nessie's unique qualities. Our life wasn't perfect, but I had put so much effort into making it work that it was as close as I could get.

If I told Nessie our story, it would be like inviting the ghost of Bella back into our house. The life I had worked so hard to create would be demolished, and we'd be left standing in the rubble. It took so much of my resolve to get us where we are today that I don't think I could do it a second time.

I ran my hands over my face. I didn't know what to do. Nessie's questions weren't going to stop. That persistance was something she had in common with Bella. And as much as it annoyed me to no end, it was something I loved about both of them.

This is one of those times when I look at my life and wonder how in the hell I got here. I had never given much thought to how my life would turn out, but I would never have chosen this path. Or was this path chosen for me? Because no matter how much I tried to control the situation, in the end, it was out of my hands. That's why life is so unfair. In the end, life is the only thing that has control.

I didn't have the answer to Nessie's questions, so I did what I always did: turned to Alice.

"Edward? What's wrong?"

The question is pointless, because I can hear her asking it before I even made the phone call, but both of us have gotten so used to acting human for Nessie's sake that it has become a habit.

"Hey, Alice. Nothing's wrong," I answer, but my voice was so somber that it instantly invalidated what I said.

"Yeah, I don't believe you. Tell me what's wrong. Do you want me to come over?" I can already see her reaching for her car keys and heading to the garage.

"No, you don't have to. I just wanted to... talk."

"Okay... so what did you want to talk about?"

There was a silence as I tried to work the words up my throat. Alice was familiar enough with this behavior not to interrupt the silence with inane chatter like she did in any other circumstance.

"Nessie asked me about Bella today," I finally managed to spit out.

"Oooh," Alice cooed sympathetically. "What did she ask?"

"She wanted me to tell her about Bella. About me and Bella," I admitted in a rush of words. I rested my head against the heel of my hand and pinched my eyes shut, trying to work against the overwhelming loneliness I was beginning to drown in.

"What did you tell her?"

"Just the usual. 'She loved you.... yadda yadda.' But you know Nessie, that wasn't good enough. She wanted to know about me and Bella. I just told her that I would tell her when she got older. But she didn't like that answer. She wouldn't let me kiss her goodnight." The current was pulling me under. I had learned to live with Bella's absence, but I couldn't exist without Nessie's love.

"She'll get over it, Edward. You'll see. In the morning, she will have completely forgotten about the whole thing."

"Yeah, but what do I do when she asks me again tomorrow night?"

"You might not like this answer, Edward... but it might be time you told Nessie a little bit more about her mother."

She was right, on both counts. I didn't like it, but I didn't see any way around telling Nessie the truth.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three

The next night was the same. It was like we were developing a new routine, except this time my reluctance was genuine and Nessie's pleas were real.

In the end, though, it was Alice's advice that prompted me to tell her the beginning of the story. It was the logical place to start, and the beginning wasn't so hard to tell anyway.

"Well, Mommy and I went to the same college --"

"What college?" she immediately interrupted me. I smiled a little despite myself. She had so many questions packed in that little body of hers.

"The University of Washington. We met when I was a in my fourth year of school and Mommy was in her first. But we didn't fall in love until much after we met. You see, Mommy thought that I was a jerk, even though the first time we ever saw each other, I saved her."

"What did you save her from?"

"An even bigger jerk who was trying to pour pickle juice on top of her head."

"Why would someone try to pour pickle juice on top of Mommy's head?"

"Well, Nessie, you know how Uncle Emmett is. Sometimes he just does silly things."

"It was Uncle Emmett!" Nessie gasped, and I can't help but laugh at a combination of the memory and my little girl's reaction to the story. I couldn't have asked for a more captive audience.

"Yep, Uncle Emmett. Mommy was not happy when she turned around and saw the two of us fighting over the jar of pickle juice."

"But why did she think you were a jerk? You were being the good guy."

"Thank you, sweetheart. But Mommy thought that we were fighting over who got to pour the juice on her head. She thought we were both the bad guys, even worse because we were fighting over it. And, I don't know if I've ever told you this, Nessie, but sometimes Mommy was really clumsy, and she would trip over thin air. Anyway, after she turned around and saw me and Uncle Emmett fighting over the jar, she tripped over her own foot, and fell right into us. The juice got all over her. She was so mad that she never wanted to talk to me again."

"So how did you fall in love with each other?" Nessie asked. Obviously a petty fight amounted to a lifelong grudge in her innocent mind.

"Well, the way Mommy reacted to the whole situation made me want to know her. But because she was mad at me, she didn't want to get to know me. But I would bother her every time I could so I could get to know her a little better. I didn't realize that I was in love with her until a little while later, but she didn't fall in love with me for a long long time. You see, when we met, she was already in love with somebody else."

"What?!" Nessie was also of that innocent age where Mommies and Daddies loved only each other for their whole lives.

"Yep, so I had to convince her to love me more than she loved the other boy."

"How did you do that?" Nessie asked, her mouth hanging open wide.

"I guess you are just going to have to wait and find out later," I finished. She didn't like that answer, and gave me a pout.

"Time for bed, sleepyhead," I told her, refusing to back down. The only way I can get the whole story out there is to space it out, tell it to Nessie in digestible pieces.

I pulled back her covers, and she slipped in underneath. Before I even had a chance to kiss her on top of her head, she leaned up and kissed me on the cheek.

"I would have loved you right away, Daddy. Even if you dumped pickle juice on me." she told me before slumping back in her bed and snuggling against her pillow.

And her simple declaration of love more than made up for all the pain.

* * *

Emmett Cullen loved freshman move-in day. There was nothing quite so invigorating like the smell of fresh blood.

He meant that in a purely figurative way. Carlisle would kill him if there were any mysterious murders on the campus. Even though he would probably assume that it was Jasper, Edward would know, and he would immediately point his all-knowing finger at Emmett.

But still, so many opportunities to wreck havoc and cause minor meltdowns all over campus. Everywhere he turned, a confused new-comer trying to find their way. And he would be there, so willing to point them in the opposite direction. If Edward was around, sometimes Emmett would force him to track his victim's thoughts, so he could vicariously hear their gratitude turn to confusion turn to anger turn to embarrassment.

Today promised to be just as much fun, even if Jasper wasn't as excited as he was and Edward was glowering because he had been coerced into coming along. After manipulating and confounding the first freshman that came their way, the other two would join in his exuberance, even his uptight older brother.

After two minutes of watching students in the union center, Emmett zeroed in on his first target of the day. She was half-hidden behind a stack of textbooks that had to weight at least fifty pounds and the confused expression that she wore told him plainly that she was lost.

"Hey," Emmett muttered beneath his breath, hitting Jasper on the arm to gain his attention. Emmett wasn't sure why Jasper was so distracted today. But as soon as Emmett gave a pointed look in the girl's direction, Jasper broke out into a devious grin.

"What's the plan?" he muttered back. Emmett wasn't sure yet. Misdirection was usually his favorite tactic, and it could work well in this case too, considering that she was carrying around an extra fifty pounds of textbooks. But that was what he did always did, and he wanted something a little more... obvious.

That was when he saw the jar of pickles abandoned on one of the tables near the hot dog vendor. As soon as the thought entered his mind, Edward gave an exasperated scowl that was almost loud enough to be heard by regular humans. Sensing Edward's displeasure, the plan was fixed in his mind.

"Grab that jar of pickles." Jasper grabbed it so quickly that no one even saw him steal it. Emmett had already twisted the cap off the jar and positioned himself behind the girl before Edward intervened.

"Give me the jar, Emmett," Edward demanded in the no-nonsense tone he adopted whenever he was trying to pull the "I'm your older brother" act.

"Oh, come on, Eddie," Emmett replied with grin. "Loosen up a little." He put his hand up to pour the juice over the unsuspecting girl, who was currently hesitating about which way to go. But before he could spill even a drop, Edward's hand grabbed his wrist with a crushing strength.

"What's your problem, Edward?" Emmett growled, no longer amused by Edward's protest. He knew that he had forced Edward to come along today, but he didn't expect him to put up a fight like this over something they did every year.

"I don't mind when you tell a confused freshman to go the wrong way, but this is just mean," Edward said, making a swipe for the jar. Emmett attempted to pull it out of his brother's reach, but Edward's gift of insight made Emmett's evasion futile. But now they were on equal footing, trying to out-wrestle the other for the jar.

Something about their struggle must have alerted the girl about their presence behind her, because she whirled around with a surprising agility, considering the stack of textbooks weighing her down. What she saw the two of them, fighting over a jar of pickle juice suspended in midair, she quickly deduced what was going on, and she wasn't happy about it.

"Jerks," she muttered under her breath. It was perfectly audible to them, but it was clear that that had been her intention anyway. "So much for chivalry. Here I am, lost on my first day at a new college in a new town in a new state, and all I am to you is an easy mark for a prank," she continued in a scathing voice. "Pathetic," she finished, disgust etched in every feature of her face.

It would have been an impressive, dignified reproach had she not tripped. But as she tried to shoulder her way between the two stricken Cullens, her foot caught on the overlong hem of her pants. She thrust her hands out to break her fall, turning her textbooks into projectiles in the process. Her literature book ricocheted wildly, hitting the jar of juice that Edward and Emmett were still clenching onto. The glass shattered, spraying everything beneath it with the sickly-sweet smell of pickle juice. Unfortunately, the girl and all of the textbooks she had been carrying happened to be directly beneath it.

She gave a small, defeated laugh and threw her hands into the air. Edward let go of the fragment of glass still connecting him to Emmett and leaned down to help her gather her soggy books.

"I am _so_ sorry--" he began, but she cut him off immediately.

"You know what, you've done enough here for one day. Just go, okay?" She gave him a piercing stare before turning back to the mess on the floor.

Not sure what to do, Edward stood back up and led Emmett, who was doubled over in laughter, away from the girl. Just before leaving the union center, he turned back to look at her one more time. She looked so small and helpless among her pile of books, and Edward felt an unfamiliar pull at his stagnant heart, almost like a forgotten, feeble beating.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four

A half an hour and one bath of pickle juice later, and Bella Swan was finally back at her dorm room. She threw her sodden textbooks down on her bed with an annoyed and ungainly "Hhumph." These textbooks had cost her a fortune, and now they all had the impervious smell of pickle juice wrinkling every page. It was just the perfect way to cap this day at her new school.

Bella unslung her purse and threw it down on her bed beside her books with the same vehemence that they had received.

"Is... this a bad time?" a short brunette asked tentatively from her doorway.

"Oh... sorry. No, now's fine," Bella said, a blush working its way across her face. How many more ways could she embarrass herself in one day?

"Okay, good! I'm Alice, your roommate. Sorry I wasn't here when you moved in earlier," the girl, Alice, explained walking into the room and holding out a tiny hand to Bella.

"Oh. I'm Bella." They shook hands, and an awkward silences sifted down between them. Bella tried to covertly watch her new roommate, who didn't seem to feel ill at ease at all. Alice looked perfectly collected as she began to straighten her closet around. Bella wished that she could adopt some of that easygoing nature.

"So, did the move go well for you?" Alice asked, still a little distracted by her closet, which was apparently too small for all of her clothing.

"Yeah," Bella answered awkwardly. She didn't know what else to say, but at the same time, she knew she had to continue the conversation. "Yeah, it went okay. It actually went a little better than I expected, considering that I had to do it all by myself at in the end."

"Oh, I'm sorry, Bella. I would have been here to help you, but one of my brothers wanted me to help him with something."

"Oh, no, I wasn't talking about you. Originally, my mom was going to help me, but her husband had to go to Florida for his job. And my dad was supposed to drive down here and help, but he had something come up where he lives too, so I had to drive up here myself."

"Drive up here? Where are you from?"

"Phoenix."

"As in, Phoenix, Arizona? What are you doing in Washington State?"

"Well, it's sort of been... pre-arranged since I was little. I don't know, it's sort of weird," Bella said in a rush, clamming up as the conversation turned to the one topic that she couldn't tell anyone about.

"Oh, okay," Alice said, as if that had made sense to her. "So what have you been up to since you got here? I mean, you look pretty settled already."

"Well, I went to get some textbooks from the union center, and these idiotic jerks spilled pickle juice all over them. And me," Bella said angrily, the memory souring the good mood that had been building as she talked to Alice.

"That sounds exactly like something my older brother would do for fun," Alice said, shaking her head. "He's a senior, and he loves to pull pranks on all of the freshman on move-in day. He's not as highly evolved as the rest of us. Don't worry, I'll get a special dispensation from him for you."

"Thanks," Bella said with a laugh. She could already tell that Alice was going to work out perfectly as a roommate. She was so comfortable with herself, and spread that same ease to everyone she came in contact with, even Bella, the most anxious person in the world.

Alice stepped back from her closet, which she had magically expanded to fit her entire wardrobe.

"Actually, I promised my brothers that I would go out to eat with them. Do you want to come with? I swear that they are usually very well-behaved. Well, except for Emmett, but all of his jokes are in good humor, honest."

"That's very sweet, but, um... I promised a friend that I'd meet him in a couple mintues."

"Okay. But don't expect to go long without meeting my family, they are always around."

"Sounds great. Have fun."

"Yep, you too. See you later." Alice grabbed her purse and then flitted out of the room. Turning back to her bed with a dejected sigh, Bella surveyed the damage of her books one last time.

She had told Jacob that she would meet him in a half hour, but she probably had to head out now, considering that she would most likely get lost at least twice. After changing into a shirt that smelled less like pickles, she grabbed her purse and headed out to see Jacob, the boy she barely knew, but had moved to Washington for.

* * *

Edward Cullen had a problem.

He couldn't stop thinking about the girl that Emmett had terrorized earlier that day. He could still taste the smell of her, like a burn in the back of his throat. He had never smelled anyone so overwhelmingly tempting. He liked to think that he was very restrained, that he had almost complete control over himself, but this girl had changed that perception. It wasn't until she turned around to face him and Emmett that Edward had felt the full brunt of her scent. His entire self had been assaulted by her smell, and he could feel his resolve, once so strong, crumbling beneath him.

And as if that wasn't bad enough, the fact that he couldn't read her mind just made her even more fascinating. He had never been completely blocked out by anyone before, and as frustrating as it was not to know what the girl had been thinking, it also made her more alluring to Edward. Because her mind wasn't spread out for him to read, he wanted to get to know her even more. He wanted to know what was hidden behind those blazing, angry eyes.

On a primal, guttural level, Edward wanted nothing more than to kill the girl. And because of that, he knew that he had to stay away. But on a personal, intellectual level, Edward wanted nothing more than to get to know the girl.

Yes, Edward Cullen had a problem.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter Five

Jacob Black had been waiting for this day for eleven years. Now it had finally arrived, and what was he doing?

Waiting.

She was late. And even though it was slightly annoying, it was part of Bella, and he loved her despite it. Besides, she was only a couple minutes late, and the only reason he was so aware of her tardiness was because he had been waiting an excruciating eleven years for today. Normally he was a laid-back guy with an unshakable calm, but today was such an important day in his life that he couldn't help but be on edge. After all, he had only seen Bella a handful of times before now. First, that fateful meeting when she was seven years old, and then every summer afterward for two weeks. But he had been more like an older brother to her then. Today would change that. Now they were coming together as equals, as partners, and hopefully, ultimately, as lovers.

The ancient bell-tower began tolling the quarter-hour, and Jacob was starting to get a little worried. He didn't think that Bella wouldn't show up, he had complete confidence in her, but she did have the slightest tendency to get herself in trouble.

Before he could go searching for her, however, she rounded the corner and nearly ran into him.

"Jacob!" she greeted him, a little out of breath. "Sorry I'm late. I got lost a couple times. You know, you would think that living in a big city like Phoenix would give me some sort of direction, but no, I can barely make my way around campus!" she rambled on.

"Don't worry, Bella. I figured something along those lines had happened to you. You always were a disaster," he teased. Rather than getting embarrassed, however, she gave him a glare that contradicted the amused grin she couldn't quite hide.

"Hey, that is so not fair! I can't help that I inherited my mother's genes!" They laughed together and then gently fell into a silence that wasn't quite natural, but still wasn't uncomfortable.

"Did you get everything moved in all right?" Jacob asked, falling naturally into his role of big brother.

"Mmhmm. I just met my roommate. She's really nice, you'll have to meet her sometime."

"I'd love to," Jacob said, smiling down at the girl he had been waiting so long for. She was gorgeous, but beautifully unaware of herself. She nervously tucked an errant strand of hair behind her ear. The move was so fluid and natural, and filled Jacob with an irrepressible desire to slip his hand inside of hers. But Bella wasn't ready for such an aggressive move forward in their relationship. Although Jacob had been waiting patiently for this day, he knew that Bella had spent the intervening years growing up, and she still had to grow accustomed to the idea of him as more than a brother figure in her life. It was difficult to be so close to finally having her, but he cared enough for her to wait until she was ready.

Jacob cleared his throat awkwardly. "Do you want to go for a walk?"

"Sure," Bella agreed, after giving a quick glance up at the sky. Jacob followed her glance, and then gave her a questioning look.

"The weather here is so unpredictable," she explained. "I wanted to be sure that we could go for a walk without being poured on."

"Oh," Jacob said with a laugh as he began to lead them on their way. "I guess I am so used to it by now that I don't even consider it anymore."

"I don't think that I'll ever get used to it," Bella said with a forlorn sigh. Her duress automatically caused a pull inside Jacob's stomach. He hated to see her unhappy.

"Do you really miss Phoenix?" he asked sadly, anticipating her reply.

"Yes," Bella answered, but after giving him a sidelong glance, she quickly amended, "but change is good. Besides, I needed to give my mom and Phil some space. And if I'm going to move away from home for college, I might as well do it in a big way, right? And besides, no college in Arizona could guarantee me a friend like Washington State does."

Jacob gave her an appreciative smile, even though he could feel a little bit of his heart collapsing as she labeled him a friend. He wanted to be more than just her friend. Still, the lore was in his favor, and he knew that these things just took a little time. Sam had explained it all to him after he first imprinted. He and Bella were connected, and nothing could sever the bond forged between the two of them. Jacob just had to foster their relationship and wait for Bella to become old enough to fully understand their partnership and come to Jacob freely.

"You know, I would move to Phoenix for you, if I could," Jacob told her. "But I sort of have an obligation here, with the pack and everything."

"I know," Bella said in a firm voice. He loved that about her. She was so unselfish and undemanding, and still so strong.

They exchanged friendly, genuine smiles, and Jacob could feel his heart begin to repair itself when Bella gently took his hand in her own.

* * *

"Stupid stupid stupid," Edward muttered to himself as he paced his blessedly empty room. Emmett had left to meet the rest of the family for lunch, and Edward had given a lame excuse to get out of going with them.

"I don't want to be fifth wheel on your double date." As if he wasn't used to that after couple hundred years!

But Edward needed this time to reorganize his thoughts. He had to dispel all thoughts related to the girl. Even entertaining the idea of getting to know her put them all in danger. The girl would most likely lose her life, and Edward and his family would lose their cover. Not to mention, Edward would lose any semblance of control he had over his base instincts.

He was better than this. He had spent so much time with Carlisle learning to repress any thoughts of relapsing to human blood. But he hadn't known that anyone could smell so good until he met her.

No, he must not dwell on that any longer. He had to forget about her, and the first way to do that was not to consciously call forward her scent. He had to bury all aspects of her in the deepest recesses of his mind.

But then he thought about what he had seen in Alice's mind. He had seen the girl, and her skin was translucent -- the skin of a vampire.

Or a corpse?

Either way, Alice's vision meant that Edward had already made up his mind, consciously or not. The real question was how much Alice knew or could guess. Surely the vision must have shaken her, but Edward had been too absorbed by what he saw to even read her reaction to it. Did Alice know the girl? Did she know the circumstances surrounding her conversion?

Worse yet, did Alice know that Edward's whole body was set on fire by her?


End file.
